Helsinki, the capital of Finland is located 250 miles north east of Stockholm, Sweden and 190 west of St. Petersburg, Russia but is just 50 miles north of Tallinn, Estonia and so is centrally located to see many beautiful cities but is itself well worth a visit for at least a few days and there are cheap flights to Helsinki from many of the nearby countries plus, some from countries further afield.

Helsinki

Many people that do visit Helsinki, if they have time, often take the opportunity to visit Tallinn in Estonia which was the City of Culture for Europe in 2011 and whose old town is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cathedral of Helsinki

Some things to see in Helsinki itself include the Cathedral of Helsinki which in the winter months hosts a market within the grounds that surround the ivory white building and so probably one of the essential things to do in Helsinki is to either get their Helsinki Card which permits travel to as well as entrance to, many of the city’s sights or, take a Helsinki Sightseeing Tour which will include among other sights, the Opera House, the Parliament building and Senate Square as well as the Presidential palace.

The National Museum of Finland

The city is host to several very interesting museums which include The National Museum of Finland which has exhibits from prehistoric time right up to this modern era and the University of Helsinki Museum which is the ideal place to learn about Finland’s Swedish and Russian heritage plus of course the Museum on Contemporary Art Kiasma, the most renowned art museum in the whole of Scandinavia.

Port town of Tallinn

Helsinki has an interesting history and was not the original capital; in fact the town only came into being in 1550 when King Gustav I of Sweden built it in an attempt to compete with the port town of Tallinn 50 miles to the south. The town suffered greatly during the plague of 1710 but started to expand after the Finland Fortress Islands also known as Suomenlinna were built in 1748 as protection against Russia but it wasn’t until after Russia defeated Sweden in the Finnish war in 1808, that the Grand Duchy of Finland was created to which Helsinki became its capital in 1812.

The six islands

The six islands that make up Finland Fortress Islands and are also part of the city of Helsinki itself are always a tourist attraction as well as being a popular picnic spot for locals. Although these fortified islands were originally called the Fortress of Svea, in 1918 they were given the name Suomenlinna meaning Castle of Finland and have become a symbol of patriotism to all Finns.

Esplanadi Park

Although many of the things to see in Helsinki are related to history, it also has Esplanadi Park where there is live music performed during the months of July and August, an island that is home to the Helsinki Zoo, plus Linnanmaki Park an amusement park that is perhaps like no other, perhaps more a carnival than a Disney World.